YOUNGSTOWN Future of hall is up in air

The hall has been on South Avenue since 1939.
By ROGER G. SMITH
CITY HALL REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- There was a day when the biggest dance floors in thecity belonged to Idora Park and Krakusy Hall.
Today, the park on Youngstown's South Side is gone. If bookings don't pick up, Krakusy Hall could become extinct, too.
The group that runs Krakusy Hall on South Avenue -- the Free Polish Krakusy Society, Polish National Alliance Lodge 827 -- is pondering the building's future.
Society members met Sunday to start thinking about what happens after the group celebrates its 100th anniversary next year, said Joseph Magielski, the group's financial secretary.
The first Krakusy Hall was established in 1903 on Franklin Avenue. The hall has been on South Avenue since 1939.
Bookings and society membership have declined enough over the years that it's becoming tough to keep the building, Magielski said.
Possible scenarios
The society would prefer to increase its membership and book more functions to stabilize the finances, he said. That will be the goal in the coming months.
"We don't want to sell it," Magielski said.
If that effort doesn't work out, however, there could be a serious financial crunch next year, he said.
That's why members will be working to keep the building but also considering a future without it, he said.
The hall is in good shape despite the building's age, Magielski said.
Volunteers have renovated the top-floor ballroom within the last five months. The room features a new carpet and paint. Restrooms and the kitchen also were improved, he said.
rgsmith@vindy.com